


Going With The Flow

by LadyDrace



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dancing, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-26
Updated: 2012-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 22:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/496506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/pseuds/LadyDrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas needs to loosen up, so Sam offers to teach him how to dance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Going With The Flow

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: Mithrel. Thanks darling.

“This is _not_ working!” Dean groaned and fell into an armchair, panting. “Those guys are never gonna buy this scam. How are they gonna believe that you've switched sides if you can't make our fight look convincing?!”

 

“My apologies,” Castiel mumbled, looking dejected.

 

Sam got up from the bed where he'd been watching the unsuccessful attempts at teaching Castiel how to mock fight. “Hey, come on, we've got until Wednesday to make it work, right? There's still time to learn.”

 

“Or come up with a better plan,” Dean muttered.

 

Sam sent him a death glare before turning back to Castiel. “Look, maybe you just need to loosen up a bit. You know, like... it's like dancing.”

 

“I don't know how to dance,” Castiel said flatly.

 

“Don't worry, we can teach you,” Sam assured him.

 

“You mean _you_ can teach him,” Dean grumbled from his chair. “I don't dance.”

 

“But you still know how to pretend to fight,” Castiel argued and frowned at Dean. Sam felt there was a never-ending, soul-deep stare coming, so he hurried on.

 

“Yeah, but he's also had his body all his life. You've only had your vessel for a couple of years. Maybe you need a little help to get it moving smoothly.”

 

Castiel tore his eyes away from Dean, to Sam's relief. If the staring got going, Sam might as well just leave the room, because he wouldn't be noticed for a good long while, then. Instead, Castiel fixed his blue eyes on Sam and raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. “And you would teach me?”

 

“Well...” Sam suddenly felt a little embarrassed. “I can teach you some simple dance moves and maybe help you understand rhythm. Dean is much better at the fighting.”

 

“Thank you, Sam. It's much appreciated.”

 

Castiel was still looking at Sam, clearly expecting the lesson to begin immediately. Sam caught on after a few awkward moments and looked around the room. “Oh! Uhm... right. Dean, go to a bar or something while I show Cas some moves.”

 

“You're kicking me out?” Dean spat.

 

“Yeah, I am, because we need to make this work and if you sit there making stupid jokes it'll never happen! I know you, Dean. You're a complete jerk about stuff like this!”

 

“Am not!” Sam sent him another glare. “...okay, maybe I am.”

 

He got up from the chair with a heavy sigh. “Fine. I'll go get a drink. You ladies just text me when you're done prancing around.”

 

“I rest my case,” Sam said acidly. Dean flipped him the bird and left the room, leaving Sam and Castiel to look at each other awkwardly.

 

“Uhm... okay,” Sam said mostly to himself. “Music. We need music. And... you should take off your coat. Maybe your jacket too.”

 

Castiel didn't say anything. He just followed Sam's directions and slowly shrugged out of a few of his many layers, while Sam found some music on his laptop. He cycled through a few songs before finding something with a good beat. Then he moved to the middle of the floor and beckoned Castiel to his side.

 

“Right, let's just start slow. Just stand here next to me and do what I do, okay?” Castiel nodded and watched as Sam carefully took one step to the left, gathered his feet and took another step to the right and gathered his feet again. “See? It's easy.”

 

Sam started again, this time repeating the side-steps to the beat of the music. Castiel watched for a few more beats before slowly making his first attempt. The movement was easy enough, but he was completely unable to follow the rhythm.

 

“No, Cas, listen to the music. Can you hear the beat?”

 

Castiel cocked his head. “Which one? There are several.”

 

Sam was about to argue the point, but realized that the music he'd picked might be too complex. So instead he went back to his playlist and picked another song with a simple bass and not much else. “Right, do you hear it now?”

 

Castiel nodded and tried again. This time he followed the beat, but his movements were hopelessly stiff and stilted. Sam was pretty sure he would rock doing the robot, but suck at anything else.

 

“Better. Now... you have to relax. Let your arms and legs go loose.” Sam shook his arms a few times to demonstrate and while Castiel mimicked the movements perfectly, he still looked like he was made of wood and clunked his way through the steps.

 

Sam stopped and rubbed his neck. “This isn't working. I think we need to try something else.” He went back to his laptop and picked a few pieces of music with no vocals before going back. Before starting again he paused and cast Castiel a nervous glance. “Could you do me a favor and not tell Dean what kind of dancing I taught you? He'll never let me hear the end of it if he found out.”

 

“Of course,” Castiel said calmly. “Is it an unusual dance?”

 

“No,” Sam chuckled. “It's just... normally you don't see two guys doing it. Now again, do what I do.”

 

He took up his position next to Castiel again, and this time he took a step forward, then one to the right, then back and then to the left. He kept up the box pattern until Castiel was able to repeat it flawlessly, albeit stiffly. “Good. Now the next part.”

 

Sam stepped in front of Castiel and paused facing him. “Right, I'm going to do the woman's part here, because... well, I just showed you the man's part and we're short on time.” He rolled his eyes at himself and carefully stepped into Castiel's personal space. “Now, put your right hand on my waist and your left hand in mine, like this.” He maneuvered Castiel's limbs into the right positions and put his own left hand firmly on Castiel's shoulder.

 

“Ready?”

 

Castiel nodded and after a few beats of the music, Sam cautiously took a step back and he smiled when Castiel followed him, easily repeating the steps. His eyes were fixed on their feet and since he didn't mess up even once, Sam could only assume he was fascinated with the whole process.

 

“Okay, good. Now, this is the important part.” Castiel looked up at him and could feel himself sweating a little. It had been years since he'd done this. Not since Jess... but Castiel needed to learn how to move, so Sam bit down on his memories and put himself back in the moment. “Look at my body, see how my muscles move. I know which way I'm going next and my body anticipates it.”

 

Ignoring how awkward it was to have Castiel's intense eyes sweep over his entire body, Sam nodded encouragingly. “That's it. Now try it yourself. Relax, lean into the steps and try not to think too hard about it.”

 

Castiel frowned as if he'd just been asked to eat his halo, but nodded to himself and clearly made an effort. The song had changed, but the pattern held and Sam could feel Castiel struggling to unwind. He stiffened and relaxed on and off for several beats before grunting with frustration. “This is... difficult.”

 

“You're doing fine. Just keep trying. And don't worry if you mess up. Everybody does the first time.”

 

Castiel looked him in the eye with a curious expression. “I don't expect most novice dancers run the risk of burning out the eyes of their partners if they relax too much.”

 

“Oh...” Sam hadn't even considered that there might be a reason Castiel held himself so stiffly. “You need to... tense up to stay inside your vessel?”

 

Cocking his head, Castiel seemed to ponder the question. “Need to? No, I don't think so. But this is my first vessel and I am... unaccustomed to using it like this. I expect other angels who have spent more time on Earth would find this easier.”

 

Sam suddenly noticed that while they were talking, Castiel's muscles relaxed considerably and he smiled when he felt Castiel flow easier into the steps. “I think we've had a breakthrough.”

 

Castiel looked down at their feet and promptly tensed up again, losing it completely and stepping firmly on Sam's foot. “Oh no! I'm sorry, Sam. I should have been paying attention.”

 

Sam grinned and pulled Castiel closer again. “No, don't you see? As soon as you stopped focusing on it, it went much easier! Let's try it again.”

 

Looking slightly embarrassed still, Castiel never the less obliged him and got back into the pattern. “So tell me something else,” Sam prompted. “Like... how does it feel wearing Jimmy?”

 

“Tight.” Castiel deadpanned.

 

Sam laughed. “No, I mean... tell me what it _feels_ like. Do you feel what he feels or is it just like wearing a suit? Just another layer on top of your skin?”

 

Again Castiel pondered the question before answering. “I believe it's something in between. I am aware of his sensory input, but since they're not truly mine, they don't usually invoke the same emotional response. I share all of his senses. Taste, for instance... I can taste food, but I don't have the necessary experience to judge whether the food is good or not.”

 

“What about pain?”

 

“I am aware of the pain he would feel, but it seems... distant and unimportant.”

 

Sam nodded and carefully shifted a little in Castiel's hold, making note of how much more relaxed he was. “Try not to freak out again, but can you feel now how your muscles are looser?” Castiel's eyes widened marginally before he nodded and to Sam's surprise, his eyes then slid closed. It was slightly unnerving to dance with someone who wasn't looking, but Sam got the point. So he just let Castiel feel what his body was doing for a moment, and even encouraged him.

 

“That's great. Just let your body do its thing. Go with the flow.”

 

After a few more beats, Castiel actually smiled. “This is... nice,” he rumbled.

 

“Yeah. It is,” Sam agreed. And it was. It was weirdly comfortable just stepping back and forth with someone in his arms to the easy beat of classical music. Sam sent a grateful thought to Jess for teaching him how to waltz in the first place, and let himself relax into the moves along with Castiel.

 

It took Sam a few moments to realize that Castiel's eyes were open again and looking at him. And not just observing. No, for once they were looking at Sam with a hint of that indecipherable thing Castiel's eyes held whenever he looked at Dean, the undeniable _profound bond_ practically oozing off them both. Sam swallowed thickly, and at that moment he could only think one thing.

 

Dean had to be the most obtuse bastard on Earth.

 

End.


End file.
